With more people, work was easier to handle. Su Lele instructed the servants to wash the ingredients and light the fire.
First, she made a dish that the Su family had always praised—braised pork ribs.
The ribs were blanched in water, then rinsed clean.
She ordered the maid to keep the fire going. Su Lele poured oil into a large pot, added sugar cubes, and once the sugar melted, she added the ribs and stir-fried them.
Then she added soy sauce and other seasonings, poured in water, and let it simmer for fifteen minutes.
Next was a Guangdong-style spicy Kung Pao chicken. First, carrots were blanched, and peanuts were deep-fried until crispy. She lit the fire again, poured oil into the pot, added sliced garlic and a few dried chilies, stir-fried until fragrant, then added marinated diced chicken. After stir-frying until aromatic, she added diced carrots, cucumbers, and peanuts, along with salt and seasonings, stir-fried until the sauce reduced and then plated it.
Su Lele then made boiled beef, eggplant with long beans, sour-spicy cabbage, and fish head tofu soup.
The kitchen maids and elderly servants were already drooling from the aroma. The princess consort’s cooking skills were truly exceptional. These dishes looked, smelled, and surely tasted amazing—things they had never even seen in the mansion before.
Just as the final dish was finished, the steward came to report:
“Princess Consort, His Highness is already in the main hall.”
“Alright, serve the dishes.”
Su Lele quickly went back to her room to change clothes, worried the prince might wait too long.
By the time she arrived at the main hall, the dishes were already set on the table. Leng Feng and several servants stood nearby, swallowing their saliva repeatedly—the aroma was simply irresistible.
Only Leng Yi Chen remained calm and expressionless.
“Sorry, I just went back to change clothes because mine smelled like cooking oil,” Su Lele said.
“Mm.”
“Your Highness, please try it and see if it suits your taste,” she said, waiting for him to start eating before she dared move her chopsticks. She was already hungry herself.
Leng Yi Chen picked up a piece of chicken. The flavor was spicy and fresh, and the meat extremely tender. He then tried the peanuts—crisp and fragrant. The cucumber and carrot combination was also excellent.
Seeing him start eating, Su Lele immediately picked up a braised rib and began eating.
No one spoke during the meal. It was quiet, but pleasant.
Leng Yi Chen ate as he usually did—elegant and composed—but slightly faster than usual. Perhaps it was because he saw her eating so happily, or perhaps the food was truly to his liking.
He had never known ribs could taste this good—soft, rich, and fragrant. The boiled beef was spicy and tender, unlike the tough beef he usually ate. Even the vegetables were impressive—the normally bland cabbage had been turned into something sour and appetizing.
Finally, both of them drank a bowl of soup to balance the spiciness, feeling very comfortable.
Six dishes for two people—though they couldn’t finish everything, there were only small leftovers since Su Lele hadn’t cooked too much.
Leng Feng, standing nearby, had been swallowing his saliva all evening. Standing guard like this had never felt so long. Seeing leftovers, he desperately thought: could I take them? He really wouldn’t mind!
“Not bad,” Leng Yi Chen said calmly, then stood up to return to Yijing Pavilion.
“Glad it suits your taste, Your Highness. Safe travels,” Su Lele said.
Finally sending off this “great Buddha,” she felt pleasantly full and decided to take a walk in the courtyard before bathing.
That night, Leng Feng quietly swapped duties with Leng Yu, then sneaked into the kitchen of Yanyu Pavilion.
He had already secretly told the kitchen maid not to throw away the leftovers.
“Mmm… amazing. No wonder the master ate four ribs earlier. Luckily there are still two left.”
He watched as the prince ate so contentedly and felt deeply satisfied.
The chicken with peanuts, cucumbers, and carrots was perfect with rice. The spicy beef was tender and flavorful.
Leng Feng asked for a large bowl of rice and ate everything left over, finishing even the rice.
He let out a satisfied burp and quietly returned to Yijing Pavilion.
The next day, Su Lele woke up naturally. Planning to develop new snacks, she decided to leave the mansion and explore the East District.
As expected, the East District was the most prosperous part of the capital. The main street alone had several large restaurants. Shops selling wine, fabric, cosmetics, and general goods were all larger and more luxurious than elsewhere—clearly catering to wealthy customers.
Su Lele decided that in the future, she would open a large snack shop here, and make it the flagship store.
While walking through the market, she glanced left and right until she stopped at a stall selling chicken and duck eggs. Several young ladies were picking chicken eggs, but the duck eggs remained untouched.
The stall owner, Wu Xiaoqing, was worried. He lived in Wu Village on the outskirts of the capital and raised chickens and ducks in the mountains. While the chickens and ducks were sold to restaurants, the eggs could only be sold individually.
Duck eggs had a stronger smell, so people didn’t like them much.
He had already been selling them cheaply in the West District with little success. Now, with more eggs piling up, he had come to the East District hoping for a big buyer—but people still only wanted chicken eggs.
Then a young lady approached.
“How much are your eggs?” Su Lele already had an idea for a new snack.
“Chicken eggs are 3 coins each, duck eggs are 1 coin each,” Wu Xiaoqing said, surprised by such a beautiful and refined young lady.
Duck eggs were so cheap. She had just asked Qiuyu—normally they sold for 2 coins each. Clearly they were hard to sell, so he was dumping them cheaply. This worked perfectly for her plan.
“I’ll take them all,” she said.
“Ah… alright, miss. Let me count them,” he replied excitedly.
He counted: 102 chicken eggs and 305 duck eggs.
“Total is 611 coins.”
“Please deliver them to the Second Prince’s residence. Also, I plan to regularly purchase eggs from you in the future—200 chicken eggs and 500 duck eggs every two days. We may increase the quantity later,” Su Lele instructed while having Qiuyu pay.
“Alright! I’ll deliver them right away—and I’ll supply the palace every two days!”
As the master and servant walked away, Wu Xiaoqing felt conflicted. He wondered if that beautiful young lady was the princess consort—but quickly dismissed the thought. The princess had just married into the palace; she couldn’t possibly be buying things in the market herself.
“Princess Consort, what are you going to make with so many eggs?” Qiuyu asked.
“Secret,” Su Lele said with a smile, teasing her maid.